TECHNICAL EFFICIENCY OF FOOD CROP FARMERS IN OSUN STATE NIGERIA
2nd Biennial Conference
Authors
Abstract
The study examined the technical efficiency of food crop production in Osun State, Nigeria. Multistage sampling
technique was used to select 240 maize farmers in the study area. Interview schedule was used to elicit needed
information such as age, land conservation practices adopted and production characteristics of maize farmer in
the study area. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistic and stochastic production function model (SPF).
The result revealed that 90.2%, 65.5% and 60.0% were male, married and had secondary education respectively
with mean household size and farm estimated at 7 persons and 7 hectares respectively. About 55.0%, 40.0%, and
10.2% adopted mixed farming, fertilizer application and bush fallowing respectively as means of farm
conservation. SPF showed that farm size (p<0.01), labour (p<0.01) and cost of inputs (p<0.01) had a significant
influence on technical efficiency of food crop production while age (p<0.1) and level of education (p<0.01) had
significant influence on technical inefficiency of food crop production in the study area. The study concluded that
farm size, labour and cost of planting materials affect technical efficiency of food crop production while age and
level of education were the major determining factors affecting technical inefficiency of food crop production the
study area. The study recommended that government should encourage research to specified their researches on
how to improve food crop production in the study area especially in the area of enhancing production efficiency
of food crop farmers.
Keywords
Age, Farm Size, Technical efficiency, Inefficiency
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